ultimately 100-meter run through a hail of bullets and reached their fallen friends and they brought them home. throughout history, the question has often been asked why? why do those in uniform take extraordinary risks? what compels them to such courage? you ask clint and the soldiers here today and they'll tell you, yes, they fight for their country. and they fight for our freedom. yes, they fight to come home to their families. most of all they fight for each other. to keep each other safe and to have each other's backs. i called clint to tell him he would receive this medal, he said he was honored but he also said it wasn't just me out there. it was a team effort and so tofd we also honor this american team. including those who made the ultimate sacrifice. private first class kevin

thompson who would have turned 26 years old today. sergeant michael s kru sa. sergeant joshua kirk. sergeant christopher griffin. staff sergeant justin giagos. staff sergeant vernon martin. sergeant joshua hart. specialist stephen mace. each of these patriots gave their lives looking out for each other. and in a battle that raged all day, that brand of selflessness was displayed again and again and again. soldiers exposing themselves to enemy fire, to pull a comrade to safety. tending the each other's wounds. performing buddy transfusions, giving each other their own blood. and if you seek a measure of that day you need to look no further than the medals and rib bobs that grace their chests. for their sustained heroism, 37

army commendation medals. for their wounds, 27 purple hearts. for their valor, 18 bronze stars. for their gallantry, nine silver stars. these men were outnumbered, jut gunned and almost overrun. looking back, one of them said i'm surprised any of us made it out. but they are here today. and i would ask these soldiers, this band of brothers, to stand and accept the gratitude of our entire nation. [ applause ]

there are many lessons of cop keating. one of them is that our troops should never, ever be put in a position where they have to defend the indefensible. but that's what these soldiers did for each other, in sacrifice driven by pure love. and because they did, a grieving family's were at least able to welcome their soldiers home one last time and more than 40 american soldiers are alive today to carry on, to keep alive the memory of their fallen brothers, to help make sure that this country that we love so much remains strong and free. what was it that turned the tide that day? how was it that so few americans prevailed against so many? as we prepared for the reading of the citation, i'll leave you

with the words of clint himself. because they say something about our army and they say something about america. they say something about our spirit which will never be broken. we weren't going to be beat that day, clint said. you're not going to back down in the face of adversity like that. we were just going to win. plain and simple. god bless you, clint romesha, and all of your team. god bless all who serve and god bless the united states of america. with that, i'd like the citation to be read. >> the president of the united states of america authorized by

act of congress, march 3rd, 1863, has awarded in the name of congress the medal of honor. to staff sergeant clinton l. romesha united states army. for gal land ri at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. staff sergeant clinton l. romesha distinguished himself at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving as a section leader with bravo troop 3rd squadron 61st cavalry regiment, 4th infantry division in combat operations at outpost keating afghanistan on october 3rd, 2009. on that morning, staff sergeant romesha and comrades awakened to an attack by approximately 300 enemy attackers on all 4 sides of the compound from rifles, grenades, anti-aircraft machine

guns and small arms fires. he moved uncovered under intense enemy fire to conduct a reconnaissance and seek reinforcements before returning to action. staff sergeant romesha took out a machine gun team and while engaging a second, the generator was struck by rocket propelled grenade inflikting him with wounds. undeterred sergeant staff romesha continued to fight and upon the arrival of another soldier to aid them, he again rushed through the exposed avenue to assemble additional soldiers. staff sergeant romesha assembled a five-man team and returned to the fight with a rifle. with complete disregard for his south africaty, staff sergeant romesha exposed himself to enemy fire moving about the battlefield and three taliban fighters that breached the perimeter. while orchestrating a successful

plan to secure and reinforce key points of the battlefield, he maintained radio operation with the center. as the enemy forces attacked, unleashing a barrage of grenades and rifle rounds, staff sergeant romesha identified the point of attack and directed air support to destroy over 30 enemy fighters. after receiving reports that seriously injured soldiers were at a distant battle position, staff sergeant romesha and team provided covering fire to say lou them to reach the aid station. upon receipt of orders, his team pushed forward 100 meters under overwhelming enemy fire to recover and prevent the enemy fighters from taking the bodies of their fallen comrades. staff sergeant romesha heroic actions were critical in suppressing an enemy with far greater numbers. extraordinary efforts gave bravo troop the chance to prepare for

the counterattack to account for the personnel and secure compound keating. the discipline and heroism above and beyond the call of duty reflect great credit upon himself, bravo troop 4th bre nad combat team and the united states army. [ applause ]

>> let us pray. today god we have gathered together to give reck okay in addition to the spirit that made our country great. a willingness to give totally of ourselves, even in to death. for the great blessings of being a part of this country, for the honor and example of staff sergeant romesha, brings to our lives, we give you thanks. he was lent to our army for a few short years. we were deeply blessed by his presence.

as ancestors inspired service, he inspired generations to greater service and devotion. in your strength may we protect others and in your providence kept safe an turn our hearts to you each and every day. we ask and pray in your holy name, amen. >> well, thank you, everybody. most of all, thank you for clint and the entire team for their extraordinary service and devotion to our country. we're going to have an opportunity to celebrate and there's going to be a wonderful reception. i hear the food around here is pretty good. i know the band is good. and collin really needs to get down. so enjoy, everybody. give our newest recipient of the medal of honor a big round of applause once again. [ applause ]

>> we have been watching the medal of honor ceremony where the president awarded clinton romesha the medal of honor after a daylong battle, october 3rd, 2009, with nearly 300 fighters in afghanistan ambushing the squadron. clinton romesha, 31 years old. only the fourth living service member awarded the nation's top mononor for courage. he served in iraq and afghanistan. you see the first lady greeting the family of staff sergeant romesha. he's since left the military and the courage that day, valor, never to be forgotten. as you heard the president quote, romesha, he said that day we were not going to be beaten. we were going to win.

it's plain and simple. and that day he saved many lives despite the fact of having shrapnel in his own body. continued to fight undeterred as said by the injuries. eight soldiers killed in that battle. much talked about at the combat outpost of keating that's where it all went down. surrounded on all sides with machine guns, mortars and rifles but staff sergeant romesha and hi band of brothers as the president referred to them fought back in that daylong battle and saw them there stand up as the president asked them to and, again, a medal of honor awarded to staff sergeant romesha. served two tours in iraq. one in afghanistan. the fourth living service member awarded this top honor and one of the nation's heroes. i'm tamron hall. also following today's stunning news from the vatican. the pope making the extraordinary announcement becoming the first pope to make

the move of abdication in 719 years. the pope made the surprise announcement in lat on the a meeting of cardinals this morning. prior to that, not even his spokesperson knew it was coming. the 85-year-old pontiff said the strength is not adequate to carrying out the duties and stepping down. the college of cardinals will meet immediately. the vatican says they hope the new pope will be in place by the beginning of holy week march 24th. just the past couple of hours, the white house issued a statement of the president saying we extend appreciation and prayers to his holiness. we warmly remember our meeting with the holy father in 2009 and i have appreciated our work together over these past last four years. nbc news rome bureau chief joins

us live now. can't stress enough how it was such a surprise. i turned on the television to hear this news but what was the reaction there at the heart, the center of all of this news? >> reporter: tamron, we have a saying here in italy. the saying goes, once the pope dies, you make a new one. meaning that nobody really expects a pope to abdicate, really. nobody -- most people didn't even know the pope can actually abdicate. well, he did. you can, of course, but nobody has done it since 13th century. well, the pope benedict xvi said it two years ago. if i feel like my strength or he kept it general, if a pope doesn't have the strength to carry on to perform his duties, it is very important duties for the 1.2 billion catholics around the world, he should step down. it's something that nobody's even considered in modern times.

even john paul 2 who was much more ill or much more tired looking and ill, of course. he was very ill than pope benedict xvi looks and he said i had enough of this and just going to retire and read and live a spiritual life until the end and leave it with somebody younger and stamina. who that guy or pope will be, we don't know yet. we'll know soon. >> all right. thank you very much, claudio. let's bring in nbc news vatican analyst george wigle and father thomas at georgetown university. gentlemen, thank you so much for joining us. george, you have been on air all pretty much throughout the day. your initial reaction to this news, especially knowing what the pope said two years ago? >> i wasn't surprised at the fact, tamron. but i was a little surprised at the timing but the more i think about it during the day, the fact that the pope has done this in such a way that the college

of cardinals will be meeting during lent, a traditional season of reflection, self examination, examination of conscious, if you will. in the church. in order to give the church a new pope in time for easter. seems rather an appropriate bit of timing to me. >> absolutely. when you think about it in the context of the calendar and that holy week. cardinal dolan of new york, of course, had to say this morning, as well, being surprised by the news. >> my appreciation for him, which was already high, is enhanced a bit because with this sense of realism. that he has such an esteem for the office of the successor of st. peter which is what the pope is, bishop of rome, the successor of st. peter, he says i may not be up to it now and can perhaps serve jesus and the church and his people by stepping aside. >> father, does that father in line with what we talked about when this pope's name first

emerged as the new holy father that this would be a transitional pope? >> well, i think that what we saw in pope benedict was someone who's in continuity with the predecess predecessor, pope john paul ii and will see with the next pope. but he wasn't a placeholder. i mean, this was a man who took his pole very seriously as a teacher. he wrote books. he wrote his insickle calls and prided himself on the role as teacher of the church so i think that was very, very important. >> and obviously the steps moving forward are equally important. you have several articles out right now. george, end katding other cardinals to be successor. two african cardinals considered with two south american

cardinals and a cardinal in the philippi philippines, as well. there's much talk and before the pope benedict xvi to see a pope of south america. when you look at the demographics and the number of people who are catholics, in south america, that is the likely place. what do you make of that now? >> i think, tamron, that the cardinals are going to ask each other who among us can put a vibrant, missionary, evangelical face on the catholic church? pope benedict xvi represents the end of an era. the last pope to have intended the second vatican council, whose great work to turn the church toward the future and toward a missionary vocation. so the question is, wherever this man comes from, can he give the church of the 21st century a vibrant missionary face? the second reck question sit it

seems to me is the reform of the catholic -- it was expected pope xvi working in the bureaucracy for 23 years would take and hand the reform. he's decided to leave that to his successor and the successor will have to do some serious work in the reform so that it becomes an instrument of evangelism. not an impediment to the pope's message. >> father, lastly, it is incredible that very few people knew this news including the spokesperson for the pope. and george, talk about modernizing and moving ahead. we know that john paul greatly embraced young people. it was a joy for many to see this pope go on twitter of all things and actually have a twitter account as incredible as that is. when you think about that he's 85 years old. but if we're to look at the legacy and relates to the next pope, how would you explain that

or how do you see that? >> the last two popes that we have had have been intellectuals. they have come from academic backgrounds. they were both also bishops but, you know, they were people very comfortable in an academic scholarly setting. the cardinals may look for someone else. someone who's a manager, someone who's a diplomat. you know, the last conclave they looked around the room and they elected the smartest man in the room and the last two conclaves. in the next conclave, they may be looking for something else. as george mentioned, they may be looking for someone to reform the curia. that's someone who knows something about management. >> father, thank you so much for your time. george, always a pleasure to hear your insight as usual. thank you so much, gentlemen. greatly appreciate it. >> thank you. >> absolutely. right now, learning about the message and tone of

president obama's state of the union tomorrow night. first read team writes, quote, while the white house maintains they're focused on the economy, tomorrow's speech puts a end to the chatter they hope that they haven't spent enough time talking about the economy. politico expects it will be aggressive writing it's less a presidential olive branch than a congressional cattle prod emboldened by verdict ri and convinced the gop is unwilling to cut deals, obama plans to use the big prime time address tuesday night for another broad challenge at a republican party he regards as vulnerable and divided. also today, getting a first look at a new ad from the superpac of gabby giffords. it is aimed to promote stricter gun laws. >> we have a problem where we shop, where we pray, where our children go to school. but there are solutions we can

agree on even gun owners like us. take it from me. congress must act. >> let me bring in democratic senator from west virginia joe manchin. a big player in the gun control debate and wearing the no labels pin for bipartisanship. senator manchin, a pleasure to have you on. >> i'm wearing the pin as you see no labels and basically it's a group of people, tamron, come together as problem solvers. you know? we are not here to fight but fix things. that's what we do in west virginia and what i found no labels to be here in washington and proud to be a national co-chairman with jon huntsman. >> you would like to see if you will there to be more of a compromise in that town. it's interesting that this politico article says the president's speech more aggressive because the president believes according to them that you cannot reach a deal right now with the republicans in

washington. they are vulnerable and divided and there's an opening for his agenda perhaps to be heard in this bully pulpit form of the state of the union. are members of the gop in your opinion just unwilling to agree on anything right now? >> well, i don't know that -- you know, the president is the president of the entire country. and you would like to think that people could rally behind the president and we could do things in a bipartisan way. it's how the country should move forward, it is a common sense approach we take to running our lives. i would hope that the president has a conciliatory tone and get the financial house in order. we have to fix the finances and anxious to hear what the president says. >> you are absolutely right. we would like to believe that things would run a bit more smoothly. that's what we would like to believe and whatnot what we have seen certainly in prior to this administration. prior to this president.

certainly, in the last ten years if not longer. i want to play what david walker, said about sequester since you bring up the budget issues and the stalemate over the sequester. let me play how he sees when's happening there. >> the sequester is much more likely to happen because of the failure of the president and the congress both political parties to come together to deal with the structural drivers. i think the president needs to step up tomorrow night, provide a framework, followed up with a responsible budget that bridges the ideological and partisan divides. >> he believes that the sequester is a great example of why things are so broken in that town. do you agree? >> the sequester basically we voted for it because it was a penalty we put upon ourselves. people have said it wasn't supposed to happen. i agree. if we did our job, if we took the approach of boewles simpson

approach and quit worrying about the next election all the time, tamron, we would be much better off and now saying, okay, we just can't stand the sequesters. we tell the people that we penalized ourselves and didn't mean it? >> right. >> i think there has to be a different way of approaching it and doing the sequestering, given them the flexibility so it's not across the board and as deep as it normally would be an a better way to manage it. doesn't make any sense to me just slashing across the board. i don't -- i think there's a much better way. >> you mentioned folks worried about the next election. that brings me to the gun control debate happening. you have an a-rating for the nra. you came out i believe on "morning joe" saying something needs to be done here. now we have numbers in. 92% of the people out there support universal background checks. that's just one of the things here. where do you stand on an assault weapons ban? i know that you and other senators and lawmakers have gotten together according to some reports and secret

meetings. perhaps result in a bipartisan deal. what can you tell me about that? >> here's the thing. i'm not going to comment on anybody's piece of legislation. i will tell you i'm working with my colleagues on the other side. we have a balanced approach we're taking to something that really will get to the crux of the problem. >> how would you defined a balanced approach? would that include with the easy part and universal background checks. is that a part of the balanced approach? >> criminaled background checks makes sense to everybody, i believe. >> except for the nra right now. >> not really. i'm an nra member. >> the leadership i should say. >> many like me. >> wayne lapierre does not agree s. that right? >> just because you have somebody in leadership that doesn't agree with that as far as speaking upon that, i'm not going to speak for them. i'm looking at it from a reasonable, responsible approach to be taken by legitimate gun

owners like myself. we are protecting the second amendment rights and should be some gun sense and we are talking and i don't want to go in to specifics because we've been working pretty strongly for this and hopefully we'll have something soon. >> you mentioned you're a member of the nra and universal background check is necessary and needed, something to support. that is counter to the head of the nra wayne lapierre. is there a clear divide? are you saying that the members of the nra are no longer willing to go with the leadership? >> no. i'm saying that you can respectfully respect someone else's opinion. >> right. >> i respectfully disagree on that. but i still respect their position on it. i don't agree with it. and that's the problem. we keep trying to drive wedges and drive people apart. and we're trying to bring people together. i'm working with republicans and democrats. another republican with an a-rating like myself. >> sure. >> that comes from a gun culture, tamron. >> is it driving a wedge saying what legislation is likely to pass?

when you have the leadership of the nra in wayne lapierre saying that's not something i believe is effective and will work, i don't know if that's driving a wedge opposed to saying what's the measures to be passed to save lives? that's not wedge. i would dare some say it's a right and a wrong approach. that doesn't mean you have to despise the person. >> what we're trying to do is have a well balanced piece of legislation which i think makes sense and it will do an awful lot of good. >> right. >> and then we have to work with the colleagues on the house to see if it would be acceptable to them. that's the process. it's political process that we're in. and you have to work through this process if you're going to be successful. i think that we can do something in a most constructive way while still protecting the law-abiding gun owners like myself all over this country. and that's what we're working for. >> and before i let you go, just for clarification here, would you support an assault weapons

ban at this point? have you said? >> i do not support an assault weapon ban because the definition is still hard to come by so i'm not going to comment on people's legislation. i do not support that approach right now. i think there's a much more effective approach we can take. >> thank you so much for your time. a laundry list of things to make it through an i appreciate it and you and others will have on the pins as a sign of bipartisanship in a town where sometimes we feel that's a dirty word. thank you. appreciate it. let's bring in molly ball, democratic strategist and contributor keith boykin. i'm sure you were listening in to the interview with senator manchin and talked about people being concerned with the next election and that should not drive the debate and not only drives the debate with the gun control legislation that may or may not emerge at this point but also driving the debate with the sequester. >> well, absolutely. but, you know, i think when we

look forward to the state of the union we see the president feeling like his strategy so far has been working. this strategy of the inaugural and some of the touring -- >> how do you define the strategy? what is the strategy? >> the strategy is sort of talking over the heads of the pundits and the commentary and trying to reach the people directly. when's been called the outside game, this campaign style sort of touring that the president has been doing, i don't think there's any inclination on the part of the white house to back down on that approach given they feel like it's successful in especially in putting the republicans on the ropes thus far. >> is it, though, you say the pundits and the cable or whatever it was that you referred to, the bottom line at least according to the article in politico is less about what's happening on tv and more about the president seeing the republican party as fractured and vulnerable. >> and i don't think that's even an opinion on the president's part, right? it's true. we see how divided the republicans are. we see on the sequester as you

mentioned how difficult a time they have had articulating a message in response to that? one hand, trying to say, sure, we like cutting spending and saying no, it's the president's fault. it's terrible. the president has an opportunity to drive the narrative and a consistent message here because the opposition has a tough time with a consistent messenger and message. >> keith, the white house certainly saying today and last 24, 48 hours the focus of the speech tomorrow will be the economy but realistically we know that members of the congress have guests that are victims of gun violence, family members of people who have lost children. we know that the young laicallidy who lost his life and performed in the inaugural, her mother will be with the first lady. overall, are we seeing the president make a push at the hard things to be passed, immigration reform and necessary which is dealing with the deficit? that sounds logical as a pattern

for the speech because they're the hot topics. >> when you're president you can't just deal with one issue and the economy is the top priority for most americans. the president will i think rightly address the issue and talk about the issue of gun violence, definitely talk about climate issue and the issue of immigration and he'll ask congress to do something. this is not the previous congress was not a very active congress and this congress doesn't appear to be shaping up to be much better and the president attempt to in the future act by executive order and make decisions in that way if congress is not willing to do anything and step up to the plate and i think that molly made an excellent point, too, about the messenger and the message of the republicans divided about because the real issue for the gop is not just the message. they can't agree on the messenger, the reason why rubio and paul both giving responses to the president's state of the union address. >> we have seen that and you can have as senator manchin said a difference of opinion within the

same party and seen as strong. there was a time where you had the tea party and moderate republicans and seen as strong and now a us against them kind of thing happening there but i want -- you bring up marco rubio. i want to play what wallace said, since he's givening the republican response and running down the laundry list and why he's a star in the party. let me play it. >> he's everything we need and more. he's modern. he knows who tupac is. he is on social media. he's part of the -- sort of he has the blessings of the old political establishment. >> this is just surface stuff that's like lipstick on a pig. the bottom line is the republicans have a core values problem, not a who knows who tupac is. >> the tupac problem. molly, he's modern, know who is tupac is. i can't imagine that marco rubio and i get what she was saying,

the second thing on the resume of why he's a player. >> well, i don't think it can hurt, right? but i think two good points made in that segment which is that first of all marrow rubio has a lot of appealing qualities and the -- i don't think you can understate the state to when ch the republicans' problem is a brand problem. the extent to which they're seen as the party of old white men and to the extent he cuts against that, that's important. to the extent he is a tremendous politician who's very charismatic and good at articulating a message and substance to it, as well. seen marco rubio leading on immigration in a different way and not fair to say this is all just a surface makeover. >> well, you know, to your point, you're right. things can't hurt but he has b substantive issues and you go in to an interview and name tupac on your list, you are not

getting the job. my minority is that there are a lot of, keith, smoke and mirrors when people grasp at tupac. >> how does that make you current? you know a rapper that died in 1990s. >> or cool. >> yeah. i don't understand. that's the gop's standard for relevance and currency. they're really never able to get in touch with the modern generation. >> it was -- >> well, look. >> the problem is that the gop is -- they're hemorrhaging the latino vote, the young vote, among women voters. they're losing among every constituency for the majority of the country and the people moving the country and progressive manner and still stuck in the past. doesn't make any difference whether you get a latino spokesperson or an asian american spokesperson if you're still saying the same nonsense. >> thank you very much. very interesting conversation, keith, molly. i hope to have you back on soon. thank you. be sure to keep it on msnbc for the state of the union coverage.

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visit citi.com/thankyoucards to apply. now back to the state of the union. our first read team writes the speech is part of a one-two punch opportunity for the president. quote, the white house always viewed his two big speeches as two bites at the bully pulpit apple and the same administration official calls the two speeches two acts of the same play. they also stress the future of the president's agenda including guns, immigration as well as improving the economy. joining me now live nbc news senior political editor mark murray. mark, one of the apples or bites of it in the inaugural address, how does that i guess give us the path to what we might hear tomorrow? >> well, it is a heavy dose of the economy and it will be your traditional state of the union address with a laundry list of things that the president wants to pursue, particularly with the economy and this standoff between republicans on the budget situation and the so-called sequester. if the inaugural address was a

look at president obama's political philosophy and how the country evolved since 1776, the state of the union tomorrow night will be more of your traditional laundry list of what a president wants for his second term and 2013. >> it's interesting, one of the questions a lot of people are asking, regarding climate change and the fight for that, we heard the president make very strong remarks in his inaugural address. will that wall by the wayside ichb the other heavy issues that are still lingering? >> tamron, i doubt it falls by the wayside. i expect it to be mentioned, climate change. however, given the fact that a democratic congress wasn't able to pass the legislation, i don't think you see big action coming from congress but you could see executive administration action. i think that's where he might actually have a couple some news on that front. >> all right. mark, see you tomorrow and of course your post-analyst, as well. thank you.

>> thank you, tamron. chuck hagel says he has no intentions to walk away. this as senate committee plans to vote on hagel's nomination reportedly tomorrow afternoon. we'll get you the update next. mom always got good nutrition to taste great. she was a picky eater. well now i'm her dietitian and last year, she wasn't eating so well. so i recommended boost complete nutritional drink to help her get the nutrition she was missing. and now she drinks it every day. well, it tastes great! [ male announcer ] boost has 26 essential vitamins and minerals, including calcium and vitamin d to support strong bones, and 10 grams of protein to help maintain muscle. and our great taste is guaranteed or your money back. learn more at boost.com [ dietitian ] now, nothing keeps mom from doing what she loves... being my mom.

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you are going to block them from coming to a vote until you get an answer to this? >> yes. >> and despite tough opposition, chuck hagel's brother tom hagel says, quote, he's not going to walk away from this. the way he's responding from this, he's just going to fight harder. tim matt joins us from plirt coe. thank you for joining us. >> thank you. >> wednesday or thursday a debate and vote on the senate floor. so it appears that most of the senate ready to move ahead. senator lindsey graham, he is not. >> looks like a vote in committee tomorrow at 2:30 and see democrats and republicans have an open debate on whether chuck hagel should be the next secretary of defense. after that, if he passes through, then like you said h, s we'll look at a full senate floor vote. >> we read the quote from his brother tom and not going to walk away from this. he is in it.

there's been speculation he might withdraw his name. that does not appear to be the case. i don't want to call it a happy ending here but does it still appear likely the president will get his choice? >> well, it looks like if we have a party line vote in committee tomorrow and we go to the full senate, democrats have 55 seats. they need about five more republicans. that looks very possible. if you look at numbers, still does look like for chuck hagel to be the next secretary of defense. the question is how long republicans drag this process out and prevent a vote in front of the senate later this week on wednesday or thursday like you said. if they do that, we have recess next week and he's left out there for another couple of weeks. >> thanks so much for your time. >> thank you. up next, police announce a $1 million reward for information leading them to the l.a. cop accused of murdering three people. we'll get an update from los angeles. patient, presented with a hairline fracture to the mandible

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welcome back. the lapd offering a $1 million reward to find fugitive former cop chris dorner. an of the reward was announced, a tip led officers to a home improvement store in l.a. they did not find the suspect. the massive manhunt has put police throughout the state on alert. in l.a. motorcycle officers have been ordered to conduct their patrols in cars to protect them from any possible attack. nbc's john yang joins us live from los angeles. at this point, you know, john, i'm sure tips are coming in from left and right here. i do know they're still focused on the ski resort area and other than that, this seems like a need until a haystack. >> that's right. authorities say they they have gotten about 600 phenomenon calls so far to that tip line since the reward was announced. and the search does continue in big bear lake, the san

bernardino mountains area, east of los angeles. but there's been no solid evidence of the whereabouts since thursday since they found his burned out pickup truck in -- near big bear lake on thursday. there have been false alarms like the one you talked about last night at lowe's. but they're still looking. they're still looking in big bear lake and along the border. checking cars going in to mexico from san diego. and along the mexican border. they're still looking and think still have teams protecting about 50 l.a.p.d. families of former and present officers who are listed as targets, as high value targets in dorner's words in that manifesto he posted online but so far the trail seems to have gone very cold. >> wow. all right. john, thank you very much. and tomorrow night, of course, is the state of the union. and we want to hear from you. what do you want the president to focus on most?

the economy, gun control or immigration? that by the way is our multiple choice "news nation" "gut check." i was in the ambulance and i was told to call my next of kin. at 33 years old, i was having a heart attack. now i'm on a bayer aspirin regimen. [ male announcer ] be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. i didn't know this could happen so young. take control, talk to your doctor. a talking car. but i'll tell you what impresses me. a talking train. this ge locomotive can tell you exactly where it is, what it's carrying, while using less fuel. delivering whatever the world needs, when it needs it. ♪ after all, what's the point of talking if you don't have something important to say? ♪

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time now for "gut check" of course on tomorrow's state of the union. the new poll shows the economy is the issue the americans want to hear from the president. as you heard earlier, while the white house says the president will focus on the economy, he'll talk about other big items on the agenda, gun control, immigration. what do you want to hear most from the president? which issue? the economy, gun control or is it immigration? what does your gut tell you should be the focus? go to facebook.com/newsnation to cast that vote. that does it for this edition of "news nation." thank you for joining us.

we appreciate you sticking with us for the show. tomorrow, we'll preview the state of the union with former speechwriter for president obama jon lovett and historian michael beschloss and "the cycle" is up next.

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you're always there for me. shh! i'll get you a rental car. i could also use an umbrella. fall in love with progressive's claims service. i'm toure. today, stunning news from the vatican. i wonder if god was surprised to learn pope benedict is stepping down. i'm s.e. cupp. millions of americans captivated by the search of a successor. the picking a new pontiff. i'm steve kornacki. president obama has tossed out the old olive branch. coming up, a man who himself helped write four state of the union addresses explains who us how it takes shape. i'm krysa tal. should the president go big by thinking small? it's monday and you're in "the cycle."